Going to college as an adult with job and family responsibilities is a challenging
and difficult endeavor for many. Wouldn't it be great if you could actually receive
college credit for the work and life experience you have accumulated outside of
college? Such an option exists—it's called Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
credits. This study, funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education, asked the
question. Do adults who are awarded Prior Learning Assessment credits persist longer,
have better graduate rates, and finish college sooner than adults who do not earn PLA
credits? PLA is "the process by which many colleges evaluate for academic credit the
college-level knowledge and skills an individual has gained outside of the classroom
(or from noncollege instructional programs), including employment, military
training/service, travel, hobbies, civic activities, and volunteer service" (p. 6). Adult
students can use these credits to meet general education or major requirements,
waive course prerequisites, or obtain advanced standing at their colleges. After
following the academic progress of over 62,000 adult students attending 48
different higher education institutions, the researcher found that "PLA students"
were significantly more likely to earn a degree within seven years than non-PLA
students (56% and 21%, respectively), regardless of type of college, academic ability,
age, gender, race/ethnicity, or financial aid. Among those who earned degrees, PLA
students finished more quickly than non-PLA students, and the more PLA credits
they had, the more time they saved in college. Adult PLA students who did not
complete their degrees during the study period also accumulated more total credits
than did non-PLA students within those seven years. The author concludes that
offering a PLA credit option to adult students is a significant support, helping them
to persist in and complete college.